


We all need someone to stay

by zatannaspark



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Feels, Blood, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Normal level violence, Partial Canon Rewrite, Sexy Times, if you don’t like spitfire you might not like this, mostly Artemis’ pov, no one actually dies calm down, no smut because I don’t do that, they are very soft, they’re both emotionally damaged and gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:34:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23078671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zatannaspark/pseuds/zatannaspark
Summary: She knows that Artemis can well and truly handle her own, they both can, but in that moment Zatanna vows that she’ll do anything she can to protect her.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson, Artemis Crock & Jade Nguyen, Artemis Crock/Wally West (past relationship), Artemis Crock/Zatanna Zatara
Kudos: 34





	1. The Dream

**Author's Note:**

> The title and lyric is from Someone To Stay by Vancouver Sleep Clinic.  
> Inspired by a fan art that you’ll hopefully recognise in chapter 2 and my brains apparent love for angst lmao.
> 
> Pls don’t be scared off by the density skdhdk

It was just a routine patrol he said. Then why did it go so horribly wrong.

_Nightwing B01, Tigress B07_

When Zatanna heard the metallic voice of the zeta tubes announcing the arrival of one of her closest friends and her girlfriend, she thought she’d see their bashful smiles and playful banter, not Dick holding a limp Artemis in his arms. The buzz of friendly chatter dies and the whole room goes quiet. All she can hear is an echoing thud as his knees hit the cold, hard floor. The movement jolts Artemis’ body and her arm swings out and down, knuckles grazing the polished concrete. A single tear drops from his eye and tumbles down his ripped domino mask. He let’s out a harsh breath and curls into himself and the woman cradled in his arms. He looks utterly defeated. Broken. Like he’s never going to forgive himself.

A pair of blue eyes search for another, and once his eyes settle on the raven haired leaguer, everything becomes all the more real. “Zee” Dick says breathlessly, tears welling in his eyes, “I’m sorry-“ he tries to continue but gets cut off by his own sob of guilt. Dread hits Zatanna like a fratetrain, she feels like she just got slapped by Clark, and time seemed to slow. Nobody moved. It was like they were all waiting for her to do something but she was frozen in place, she couldn’t believe that this was happening. This sort of thing doesn’t happen to Artemis, she’s too strong, too calculated, too well trained. She always gets back up, no matter how hard the hit.

Zatanna’s worst nightmares had come true as she stands there in shock, eyes wide in horror. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, the walls closing in around her. She doesn’t know how she got to them, maybe she cast a spell, maybe her legs carried her there, she doesn’t know. She falls beside them, brushing blonde hair away from Artemis’ sweat laden face, and her throat constricts again. Zatanna has never seen Artemis this pale before, life drained out of her normally tan face that glowed when she was happy and lit up when she smiled.

Dick was mumbling incoherently through his tears about how he should’ve seen him, he should’ve protected his partner, this is why he shouldn’t be a leader. Zatanna then looked at him, in more pity than anger, she knows how much this has hurt him too. It’s only then she notices he has a gash of his own, and Zatanna doesn’t know where his blood ends and Artemis’ starts. She looks down at herself, the blood that covers both of their uniforms now stains her gloves, and is smeared on her uniform.

She’s trembling at the fact that she doesn’t know what to do, how to fix this. She’s already lost her mother and her father, she doesn’t think she could handle losing Artemis too.

_The gut wrenching sound of a heart flatlining pierces through the air._

~~~~~

She wakes up with a jolt, her heart is racing and she’s breathing heavily. _It was just a dream, it was just a dream_ , she chants to herself trying to calm down. She whips her head to the side and looks over to see a familiar outline of a body, their chest rising and falling. Zatanna closes her eyes and releases a puff of air, she’s glad to see that Artemis is alive, still sleeping soundly next to her. There’s no way Zatanna can just go back to sleep, so she gets out from under the covers, making sure she doesn’t disturb Artemis, and walks out to their kitchen.

~  
Artemis reaches over to the other side of the bed and feels nothing but warm sheets quickly growing cold. She looks around and her brows furrow.

~  
“Zatanna....” Artemis says from the doorway, “is everything alright?” she questions, voice still groggy from being asleep. Artemis makes her out in the dim moonlight, her arms are stretched out, grasping the counter, and her head is lowered. When she approaches Zatanna she can see tears streaked down her face, and her concern flares. Artemis touches her elbow lightly in an attempt to get the leaguer to look at her, “what happened?” she inquires gently, worry laced in her voice. The magician lets out a shaky breath and her hands grip tighter at the bench, “you were dead, and I...” she starts, her words quivering, “I couldn’t do anything” she finishes, voice cracking at the end. Artemis doesn’t say anything, doesn’t know what to say, so she just looks at her with patient and sympathetic eyes, waiting. She knows how much the younger woman has been through.

“It felt so real Artemis” the magician says in just above a whisper, her glassy eyes flickering to look into Artemis’. “Hey” Artemis says as she softly grabs Zatanna’s shoulders and turns her around, rubbing her arms up and down in an attempt to reassure her. “Look” the blonde says, grabbing the other girls hand and guiding it to her chest, placing it over her heart, “I’m right here, I’m alive, and I’m not going anywhere.” Zatanna can feel the tears well in her eyes again and leans into Artemis. The blonde just wraps her arms around her, placing a delicate kiss on Zatanna’s head as she clings to the archer like she’s about to disappear, the soft material of her shirt balled into Zatanna’s fist.

“It’s okay, you’re okay” Artemis hushes, her fingers gently combing through soft raven locks as they stand in the middle of the kitchen. “...I felt so hopeless Artemis” the younger woman confesses, her words muffled by Artemis’ shoulder. Tears spring to Artemis’ own eyes as she feels Zatanna’s soak the material in the crook of her neck. The blonde hugs her tighter, only now feeling the deep way in which this dream hurt her girlfriend.

They stay like that for a while longer before Zatanna pulls away, pressing their foreheads together. Artemis holds the leaguers face in her hands, wiping the tears off her cheeks before kissing her on the forehead. “Let’s go back to bed” she says offering a smile, before bending down slightly, trying to look Zatanna in her downcast eyes. Artemis puts a finger under her chin and tilts her head up, pressing a soft kiss of her lips, “what do you say?” The magician smiles through her tears at her girlfriends sweet antics and nods, letting the archer guide her back to their room.

As they get under the covers they tangle their legs together and just hold each other. Zatanna grabs the protective arm around her waist and kisses a knuckle before she tucks their intertwined hands under her chin. Artemis places a kiss on the base of Zatanna’s neck before nuzzling closer, making sure that the younger girl always knows she’s there.

Zatanna feels safe in this bed, in this life, with Artemis. “I love you” she murmurs quietly as she finally drifts off into a peaceful sleep.

She knows that Artemis can well and truly handle her own, they both can, but in that moment Zatanna vows that she’ll do anything she can to protect her.


	2. a week later

A soft light filters through the sheer curtains of their bedroom as Artemis wakes up. Her legs are intertwined with the woman’s next to her, and there’s a head resting on her chest, with an arm slung around her waist. The blonde mindlessly runs her fingers through ebony hair, tracing her way along the dips and curves of her back, and over the crescent moon tattoo on the magicians ribs.

Artemis carefully detangles herself and sits on the edge of the bed, hoping the dip in weight won’t stir the leaguer. Zatanna was now curled up in the middle of the bed, hair pooling beneath her and looking breathtakingly beautiful. Like she didn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders. Artemis kisses her on the cheek lightly before getting up and throwing on an old grey shirt that ‘accentuates her eyes’ according to Zatanna, and a thin pair of shorts. She pads out to the kitchen and clicks the kettle on before staring out the window, getting lost in the clouds.

_A chance at real love. You’ll get another._

She feels two arms snake around her waist, and the weight of a chin resting on her shoulder. Artemis closes her eyes and hums in content. It’s been 3 years since Wally died, and she’s found love again with Zatanna. For months Wally’s words rung around in her head, _I want you to live your life, and find love. I’m not sure who could possibly deserve you, but I trust you to make the right choice._

 _I have_ she thinks with a fond smile; _and I think you’d definitely approve._ For so long she held on to him, to his memory, but he’s not coming back and she has to move on. Part of her felt horrible for it, but he’d want her to move on, be happy with someone else, not be stuck on a memory of what was, or even on a dream of what could’ve been. He wouldn’t want her to be married to a dead mans ghost.

“What’s on your mind?” Zatanna queries softly as she lifts her head to look at her girlfriend. “You” Artemis replies, being dragged out of her own mind and back to reality. When she turns around in the magicians arms she’s met with one of the softest looks she’s ever seen. Light cyan blue eyes meet steely grey ones. Zatanna looks as gorgeous as ever in this moment, she’s draped in Artemis’ oversized collage sweater and her wavy raven hair cascades over her shoulders. She only realises she’s staring once she’s broken out of her thoughts with the feeling of Zatanna’s hands on her face and soft lips on hers.

Once she realises what’s happening, Artemis kisses back, hands cupping Zatanna’s neck briefly before sliding them down to rest on the other woman’s chest. Her fingertips sit on her collarbones as Zatanna pulls back and the two women stand there, looking at each other, drinking in the moment. Both of their eyes flicker to the others lips, and the air in their lungs become heavy as the tension between them grows thick.

Zatanna tastes like strawberries and cream, Artemis’ lips are like honey; and neither of them can get enough.

Their lips collide again, uncertain of who initiated it, but not caring as it grows more heated, kissing in an almost urgent manner, their bodies moving on their own accord. Artemis moans at the feeling of being wedged between the cold kitchen bench and Zatanna’s warm body that’s being pressed tightly against her. There are hands hidden in blonde locks and Artemis grabs Zatanna’s hips and holds them firm against hers.

Artemis’ hands travel back up to Zatanna’s neck and she angles her head to accomodate the magician as she slips in her tongue to deepen the kiss. The blonde tangles her hands in raven hair, pulling her forward to bring them closer. Zatanna’s hands travel under Artemis’ shirt, feeling the warm skin beneath and the edges of her abs. Her fingertips brush over the scars decorating her abdomen, and the sensation sends shivers down Artemis’ spine.

Artemis pushes Zatanna back a few steps, lips still locked but receiving a small gasp from her once the small of her back hits the table in the middle of the room. Artemis smirks into the kiss and then effortlessly lifts Zatanna onto the wooden table, nipping and sucking at her neck as legs lock around her waist. Her hands are gripping Zatanna’s ass, and the leaguer is touching every part that of Artemis that she can reach. The younger woman moves back slightly to get the blondes attention and looks down at her, her pupils dilated, eyes impossibly dark, not unlike Artemis’. Zatanna captures her lips again in a searing kiss, hands on Artemis’ jaw, pulling her back while Artemis’ hands slide up Zatanna’s bare back.

They part just long enough for Artemis to yank the shirt over her head, and then again for Zatanna to do the same to her. The shirts fall to the floor and Zatanna hooks her fingers in the waistband of Artemis’ shorts, pulling herself closer to the edge of the table and further into her body. Zatanna let’s out a low groan as Artemis bites down and pulls at her bottom lip, feeling their naked chests rub together. The magician rakes her blunt nails across Artemis’ back as the blondes hands tease at her panties and her lips trail along her jaw, down her neck and across her collarbone.

Things were really starting to escalate when Artemis and Zatanna’s phones go off in unison. It was Nightwing. Of course it was. The archer drops her head into the crook of the other woman’s neck and makes a noise somewhere in between a growl and a grumble, “of course it’s Dick being the cockblock.” This causes the magician to laugh at her girlfriend, “was that a dick joke?” she asks with a smile on her face and amusement in her voice. “And what if it was?” Artemis replies with the ghost of a smirk and a lift of her eyebrow. Zatanna chuckles and kisses her on the head before sliding off the table and nodding towards the door, “c’mon let’s go” she says but Artemis stops her.

“Uuhm Zee, aren’t you forgetting something?” Artemis questions with a raised eyebrow as she wiggles her fingers at their half nakedness and lack of costumes. She pretends to think for a while, “no...I don’t think so. Are you?” Zatanna replies with a grin once seeing Artemis’ unamused face. She laughs lightly and lifts her arms, saying some backwards words. Smoke whirls around them both, and the hairs all over Artemis’ body stand up as the cool morning air touches her skin. She inhales sharply as her body suddenly feels tight, her loose clothes being replaced with her orange and black suit. She’s still not used to that.

“Wait but what about breakfast?” Artemis pouts and Zatanna gives her an amused look, “what? I’m starving.” The magician pecks her on the lips, “we’ll get it on the way” she states, eyes sparkling, as she grabs Artemis’ hand and moves to leave.

Did they go into a crowded Starbucks in their costumes and order coffee and bagels? Who knows.

~~~~~  
The sun going down over the water is quite a beautiful sight. The sky is painted with orange, pink and purple hues, surprisingly undisturbed by the hazy Gotham fog.

Artemis is watching the docks from her vantage point across the street when she senses someone behind her. She quickly draws her bow and Cheshire emerges from the darkness, her cat mask grinning. “Hey, sis.” Artemis lowers her bow, “what are you doing here?” she questions, exasperated. “What, not excited to see me?” Jade replies as she whips out her sai’s, “I’m hurt Artemis.”

Artemis side steps her sisters attack, “what does the League of Shadows want with Black Manta?” she asks as they play their usual game of ‘let’s fight each other like dad made us do as kids.’ “Who says I’m here on business?” Jade says innocently, “what if I just wanted to check up on my baby sister?” Artemis narrows her eyes, Jade is unpredictable yes, but there’s no way this is a coincidence. She blocks Jade’s sai’s with her bow, “you’re working with Manta?” she grunts accusingly. “Not my call” Jade growls, her face close to Artemis’, they would never willingly work with with each other after the incident last year.

An explosion rings out and that’s Artemis’ cue to leave. “Sorry to cut this little reunion short but-“ she kicks her sister in the stomach causing her to stumble back, “I gotta go” Artemis says as she takes off towards the docks.

She runs down the stairs of some derelict apartment building in Gotham, feet pattering against the bare metal as she does a few necessary acrobatics to avoid her sisters shurikens. She jumps over the railing of the spiralling staircase, grabs on, and swings down, landing on the floor below. She kicks the closest door open, secures a grappling line, and jumps out the window. As she zips down she kicks a henchman in the face, then once she lands, does a forward roll and takes out another.

Artemis automatically searches for Zatanna amidst the battle, and sees her muttering spells as quickly as she can, combining them with hand to hand combat. She can see the rest of the team busy fighting the forever increasing hoard of henchmen too. Dick knocking them out with his eskrima sticks, Connor literally punching their lights out or flinging them halfway across the docks, and Kaldur wiping them out with the aid of water. M’gann is overhead in the bioship providing air support and hopefully calling for backup.

Zatanna is the only leaguer on the mission, and she was happy to be fighting side by side with her old team again. With Artemis. It was deemed low profile, an easy target, but their missions hardly ever end up that way.

~  
Black Manta had her separated and surrounded. He had a score to settle and it had finally caught up with her. Zatanna could see Artemis’ grip tighten around her bow and her fingers twitch, she was about to make a move. Artemis abruptly turns around and kicks the gun out of one of his henchmen’s hands, then swiftly takes him out with an arrow. She blocks another’s attack with her bow then kicks him in the shin, knocking him out as he doubled over in pain. The archer was too busy in the chaos of fighting off the assailants charging at her to notice that Manta had drawn a knife and was stalking up behind her.

“Artemis!” Zatanna screams, and the other girl turns around, locking eyes with Zatanna before becoming face to face with Black Manta. Zatanna is scared, petrified, she’s not gonna lie. Her girlfriend is about to get stabbed, but she won’t, she can’t, let that happen. She couldn’t lose everyone that she loved.

At this stage Zatanna was already running towards them, her legs carrying her as fast as they could. She was close but not close enough, and the other members of the team were still fighting the onslaught of goons. She realises that no one was going to get there in time, so she frantically says the first spell that comes to mind “hctiws secalp htiw simetrA.”

Everything happened so quickly. She doesn’t know how the mission got so out of control.

She looks down and sees red consuming white as her uniform soaks up the blood pooling from her stomach. She looks back up to meet the shocked, wide eyes mirrored in her partner when she feels her legs give out. Zatanna expects to feel the hard ground make contact with her body, but instead falls into something soft that eases her to the ground. Over her she sees Artemis’ face through her blurring vision, her expression filled with fear and contorted in pain. Her blonde hair swings over her shoulders, framing her face, and the scent of apple shampoo fills Zatanna’s nostrils. The moonlight highlights the other woman’s features, making her look like an angel, and for a split second the magician wonders if this is what heaven looks like.

A lot happens in those few minutes Zatanna knows, yet none of it is registering in her brain. She knows Artemis is saying something but the words are being drowned out by the ringing in her ears, and the overwhelming urge to sleep. Before the black consumes her field of vision completely, she unconsciously utters a quiet spell. “laeH em.”

~  
She stumbles back, hands going to her stomach as Artemis lunges forward to catch her limp body in her arms. “No, no, no, no, Zatanna” she breathes out as she hunches over her girlfriends body, ripping off her mask. “Why would you do that” she says as she places both of her hands on the magicians stomach, applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding. Panic is quickly taking over her body, the archers breaths are becoming erratic and she feels like her chest is being crushed, her throat closing up with it. “Why do you think” the other woman chokes out, a sliver of blood slipping out of the corner of her mouth. She offers a weak smile as she reaches up to softly touch Artemis’ cheek, a tear slipping out of her eye and down the side of her face into the concrete. Artemis leans into the touch and tears are now pooling in her eyes too, threatening to spill over at any moment.

She can’t help but to feel at blame, Black Manta was after her, no one else should’ve gotten hurt, especially not Zatanna. She harshly wipes away the tears now falling down her cheeks, the blood covering her hands smearing on her face. Artemis notices Zatanna’s eyes begin to droop and she becomes overwhelmed with fear, she is not losing another person she loves. She gently but rapidly pats the girls pale cheeks in an attempt to keep her awake, “keep your eyes open for me baby” she pleads, hands still resting on the girls face, “you’ve got to stay awake.”

By now the backup has arrived and the rest of the team has surrounded them, but Artemis takes no notice as she cradles the magician into her arms. “Please” she sobs into raven hair as she rocks back and forth slightly, “please, I can’t lose you too....you’re the only thing I’ve got” she says, voice cracking as a fresh batch of tears roll down Artemis’ cheeks. “I love you” she whispers, barely audible, “I love you so, so much and I can’t live without you”. Their faces are pressed together now, tears mixing together, and almost like a response to her confession, Zatanna’s body starts to glow, outlined in an aura of blue.

She feels a hand on her shoulder and a presence crouched behind her, “Artemis” he says in a gentle voice, “we’ve got to get her onto the bio ship and to the watchtower.” She sniffles and brokenly shakes her head, tears dripping down her chin, “you’ve got to let go of her, we’ll take care of her.” Artemis knows they will and eventually nods, falling back on her hands, watching as M’gann levitates the woman she loves and carries her away with Connor trailing close behind. She’s reminded that they lived with her for years, and they’re her family too. Dick wraps his arms comfortingly around the blonde and let’s her cry into his shoulder, the way M’gann did 3 years ago. She stares at the pool of scarlet liquid on the ground, this is all starting to feel heartbreakingly familiar.


	3. The Aftermath

The flight back is silent. Artemis doesn’t know if it‘s just because everyone‘s in shock, or if it’s out of courtesy for her. M’gann is crying silently in the back of the bioship, Connor next to her seething, Kaldur is looking more solemn than usual and Dick has that distant look in his eye as he focuses on flying. It was Kaldur’s last mission with the team before he joins the league, he didn’t deserve it to go like this. She knows them all well enough to tell that they’re all angry at themselves, they blame themselves, but she doesn’t blame anyone but herself.

When she closes her eyes she sees flashes of blood and raven hair, and the image of Manta with a sai in his chest. Artemis wonders if pain is just part of her life. Inescapable. She was shattered after losing Wally, she loved him in everything he was, and he loved her the same way. Their love was strong, passionate, and undying, and now that she’s found that sort of love again, she doesn’t want to lose it. Wally died as a hero, he sacrificed himself to save the world, he sacrificed himself so that she could live, and now Zatanna has done that too.

And in all honesty, Artemis doesn’t know if she’s worth all of it.

Once they’re back at the Watchtower it rears to life with the introduction of the injured leaguer. Artemis slumps down onto the nearest bench, her head falling into her hands, fingers gliding through her hair as she recomposes herself. She falls back against the cool wall, her hands on her knees, and her head arched towards the sky. She blows out a long, slightly shaky breath and tries to not let all of her emotions bubble over, and come gushing out. Artemis was taught that showing emotion makes you weak, and even though she doesn’t think that anymore, she can’t breakdown now.

No one has dared to approach her, and she doesn’t blame them.

Everyone is moving around her in a blur while she is wallowing in her thoughts, and it’s then she realises just how much of her life is filled with Zatanna. How she’s the first thing she sees when Artemis wakes up, and the last thing she sees before she goes to sleep. The looks they share from across a room, the joint missions between the team and the League, and the occasional moments where they get time to themselves. They would hold hands or touch each other at almost every chance they got. Neither of them were like this with the other people they’ve dated, maybe it was because they both had already lost so much and were afraid to lose each other.

Everybody notices but nobody says anything because they all know how much those two mean to each other.

Zatanna is always in her mind she discovers, always was, and the girl had always been there for her, especially when Wally died. Even when they lost contact briefly after both leaving the team for different reasons, Zatanna never left her, never gave up on her, even when it would’ve been easier to. That’s what you do when you love someone. She was the light at the end of the tunnel for Artemis and she helped her rebuild her life after it had fallen apart. All she needed was a little magic. Falling in love with Zatanna was the most natural thing she had ever felt, because nothing really changed between them, besides the obvious things. Everything sort of just fell into place.

When she looks at her she still sees the same witty girl with the mischief lurking behind her eyes, who joined the team at 14 and grew into a beautiful, strong woman. The girl that braided Wolf’s hair when she was drunk, that baked cookies with M’gann and played magic tricks on the boys. She helped them all in small ways, and she filled a part of Artemis that she didn’t know she was missing. Artemis thinks that part of her always loved Zatanna, she just fell for someone else first.

~  
Artemis is in the medbay as soon as she’s allowed and immediately feels a pang of guilt once she’s met with her injured girlfriend lying on a bed, glowing. She’s covered up to her waist in blankets, and there’s an IV drip in the hand that rests on top of them. Her silky hair is splayed over the pillows that help prop her up and her face is the stillest Artemis has seen, eyes closed. She looks out of place, she shouldn’t be here, and Artemis’ heart hurts looking at the scene in front of her.

She swallows the growing lump in her throat and slowly makes her way to the middle of the room. The rhythmic beeping of the heart rate monitor does little to ease her worries, and she slides her hand across the white footrest of the bed. Artemis stands next to her and takes Zatanna’s limp hand into both of hers, rubbing a thumb across her knuckles. She closes her eyes and exhales, “I don’t know what this glowing stuff means” she says softly as she looks back up at Zatanna, “but I really hope you’re okay babe.”

Artemis knows she needs to go do inventory and help Dick on the mission report but as she looks at the pale leaguer, she can’t will herself to move. She knows Dick will understand, and he probably wouldn’t even let her help if she tried, so she sits down, her eyes still fixed on Zatanna’s face. “Please don’t do this again Zee” Artemis whispers to the unresponsive woman in front of her, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with it.”

She places a kiss on Zatanna’s hand, pulls the chair right up close and rests her head on the mattress. She closes her eyes and goes to sleep, never once letting go of her hand.

Artemis doesn’t leave until Ollie and Dinah force her out the next day to have a shower and change into normal clothes. She ends up getting lunch with them and it distracts her. For a moment everything feels normal again, like there isn’t a possibility of Artemis losing another significant other.

She decides that she might go and see her mom later, because she loves Zatanna too. Her mother had always adored Zatanna, since they first became friends, and once Artemis told her about Zatanna’s family situation, her mothering went into overdrive. When Artemis told her mom she was dating Zatanna, she welcomed her with open arms and treated her like she was just another daughter.

~  
When she said she wanted some comfort from her family this...isn’t exactly what she meant. Or expected.

Artemis arrives home to see her sister sitting in the living room, “I’m not even going to ask how you got in here.” She walks to the table and her keys clatter as they hit the bench, “here to see when I’m free to babysit?” she bites. Artemis folds her arms across her chest and leans back on the table, facing the couch. “Well aren’t you guys are cute” Jade says and Artemis follows her gaze to the picture Will took of Zatanna, Lian and her. She smiles softly but sadly.

“How is your magician by the way?” she asks and Artemis clenches her jaw, hurt flashing across her face. “I don’t know” she says earnestly as she lets out a defeated breath, because she doesn’t know, not really. Jade nods and looks a bit hesitant before saying quietly, “I’m sorry Artemis.” She’s not used to the sympathy thing, or emotions in general, but after getting her sister back, Jade is at least trying.  
“So am I.”

Neither of them say anything for a few moments, and the air becomes stilted and sort of awkward. Artemis decides to speak up again, “why did Manta end up with one of your sai’s in his chest?” she asks, “the shadows can’t be too happy with you.” “That’s for me to know” her sister replies in her usual tone, “and me to deal with.” Artemis gives her a look, cocking her head to the side, she knows Jade cares more than she lets on.

Jade sighs, “Zatanna wasn’t the only one who saw Manta stalking up behind you” she says, “and as I’ve said before, I don’t really want you dead.” She starts moving towards the window, she really could just use the door, and adds in perhaps the softest tone Artemis has ever heard from her sister, “...or the woman that clearly means so much to you.” She pulls the window up and hops onto the frame. “If she’s your family” Jade starts, “then she’s mine” she finishes, although a bit reluctantly, before hopping out the window.

Artemis is left standing there, in the living room of her and Zatanna’s apartment, feeling oddly touched.

~  
On the third day she yearns for her touch, for a glimpse of a smile, for the sound of her laugh, for any sign that she’s ok. Artemis is worried about Zatanna, of course she is, but the blue glow of her body dims as each day goes by, and that gives her some semblance of hope. She holds their joined hands to her forehead “please wake up soon” she begs, “I need you.”

In the beginning of their relationship Zatanna was patient, willing to wait and let things progress at a rate that Artemis was comfortable with. She’s truly grateful for that. Zatanna waited for her, so she’ll wait as long as it takes for Zatanna.

~  
On the fourth day Artemis visits the Hall of Remembrance. She sometimes comes down here, walking through the trees and past the holograms of their fallen friends and heroes. She comes to talk to Wally, she finds comfort in it, because he was her best friend and the one who came to know her the best. She stops in front of his hologram and sees that someone’s put the red goggles from his suit in between his translucent feet.

Bart couldn’t wear them anymore, he couldn’t run around in Wally’s suit having people think that he was him, that everything was ok when it wasn’t. Artemis wonders how long they’ve been down here and guesses that it was probably Bart who put them there. Artemis is pretty sure Dick ended up with the suit again after Bart gave it back though, so it could’ve been him too.

“Hey, it’s been awhile” she says quietly as she kneels, placing a hand on the base of the statue and running her fingers past his goggles. On the ground next to her is a small bouquet of flowers that Artemis had put there years ago. They’re magical flowers. Ones that she got Zatanna to cast a spell on so that they would never die, just like his memory. A bittersweet smile flashes across her face. Zatanna. Zatanna’s currently lying in a bed and clinging to life because of her. Because she wasn’t careful enough.

“I can’t lose her too, Wally” she whispers with teary eyes, voice catching in her throat as she looks up at his smiling face. “It was my fault” she says after a few moments, “and I know you’d say that it was out of my control and that it was her decision,” she lets out a watery sigh, “but that doesn’t make me feel any better.” Initially she blamed herself for Wally’s death, but the same things she just said apply to him too. It was his decision and she knows he doesn’t regret it, not when he saved billions of lives just by sacrificing his own. Artemis looks back up at him, frozen in place with a hologram, then looks around her and stares into space. Literally. How the trees survive out here she’ll never know.

~  
On the fifth day she gently sits on the edge of the mattress, all geared up, and lightly places her hand on Zatanna’s cheek. “I wish I could stay here, but Nightwing needs me on a mission” Artemis rubs a thumb across her cheek as she watches her face, “I’d be here 25/8 if I could, you know I would be.” She then looks at the clock on the wall and sees that it’ll soon be time to go. Artemis leans down, places a light peck on the younger woman’s lips then gets up to leave, glancing back one last time as she goes out the door.

~~~~~

_We all need someone to stay_

Zatanna’s eyes flutter open, trying to adjust to the stark lighting of the med bay. She wonders how long she’s been out for and looks around the room that feels too small, yet entirely too big. In the chair at her bedside she notices is Artemis, curled up and mouth slightly agape as she sleeps. Zatanna doesn’t want to know what ungodly hour it is but she’s not surprised that the blonde is here. That woman is loyal to a tee, and that was something Zatanna had learnt early on. She was a ride or die kind of person, and she probably never left her side until she got forced to.

The blonde looks so peaceful when she’s sleeping, her hair’s down and her normally hard features are softened. She has half of her suit on and her worn out white T-shirt, the top half of her orange costume hanging below her waist. It’s like she was too tired to get fully dressed, but Zatanna thinks she looks as beautiful as ever. There’s a gash on her face and a bandage on her arm, Zatanna’s guess is that she has just come back from another one of Nightwing’s missions. A soft, affectionate smile spreads across her face, _nothing’s changed I see._

After her father became Dr. Fate Zatanna thought that sadness was the strongest emotion she’d ever feel. Until now. Laying here looking at Artemis she feels her love for the woman expanding her heart, pushing against her ribs begging to be set free. _God, I’m in deep_ she thinks.

~  
After maybe half an hour Zatanna tries to sit up, completely forgetting the fact that she got stabbed. “kcuF” she whispers through gritted teeth as tears spring to her eyes. “Ow ow ow” she says as she continues to lift herself up, blinking the tears away as quickly as they come. She breathes out a sigh of relief when she looks over at Artemis and sees that she’s still sleeping. She wanted to let the archer sleep, not knowing how long it’s been since she last has.

She’s not really sure why, but Zatanna mutters a few backwards words and the wound on Artemis’ face is gone. It tickles the blondes face and Artemis’ hand unconsciously reaches up to brush something away, but realises nothing’s there. Her cheek is smooth, there’s no trace of a cut, no sting of a fresh wound, and her eyes fly open. Zatanna’s eyes widen, _Shit_.

Artemis’ eyes settle on Zatanna who is sitting up, looking at her with a small, placating smile and an expression that says  _please don’t be mad_. Once Artemis sees that’s she’s ok, relief washes over her like a flood, all the tension leaving her body. She drags her hands over her face and laughs breathlessly so she doesn’t cry instead, “I am so glad you’re not dead.” Zatanna cracks a smile but then Artemis quickly sobers as tears prick at her eyes, “never” she looks straight at the leaguer, “do that again.” Zatanna looks at her empathetically, “you know I can’t promise that Artemis” the magician replies, her voice low and apologetic, and Artemis knows...she does. Part of Artemis curses the fact that she keeps falling in love with self sacrificial superheroes...because deep down she knows it’ll always end in pain.

“Its just, I really don’t want to look at two holograms of my dead lovers in the Hall of Remembrance” Artemis says with a distance in her voice, avoiding Zatanna’s eyes. Zatanna’s face softens, guilt looming in her eyes even though she doesn’t regret her decision, not for a second. It goes quiet then and Zatanna doesn’t know what to say, she feels bad for putting Artemis through this, that’s an understatement.

Zatanna reaches out, but her hand falls short of the edge of the bed, still resting on the white sheets. Artemis immediately takes both of the woman’s hands in hers and sits on the edge of the bed. Zatanna looks deep into Artemis’ eyes and squeezes her hands in both an apology and reassurance, “I’m not going anywhere,” she states, repeating what Artemis had told her the week before. “You can’t get rid of me that easily” she adds with the curve of her lips, hoping to get a smile.

Instead Zatanna is met with the burning question is Artemis’ eyes,  _Why did you do it?_ Zatanna thought it was pretty self explanatory but Artemis did ask at the docks, to which she never answered. She deserves an answer. Zatanna sighs in resignation, “after my dream I just...” she shakes her head slightly, “I couldn’t let it happen. I saw you in danger and I refused to feel helpless this time...I couldn’t risk losing you.” 

“And you thought I could risk losing you?” Artemis counters quietly, with more hurt than anything, “you know what I’ve already lost...who I’ve lost.” Zatanna lowers her eyes, she didn’t think about that. “I realise that was selfish of me, I’m sorry” she says in heartfelt way, “I really am Artemis.” The blonde tucks a stray hair behind Zatanna’s ear, “it’s okay...I probably would have done the same thing in your position, just...don’t make a habit out of it” she says with pleading eyes, “please.”

Zatanna nods, “I promise”, and after a few moments of silence she shuffles over, gesturing the archer to come lie down. As Artemis carefully hops onto the bed, she places a hand on the younger woman’s face, rubbing her thumb across her cheek. They kiss long and slow, savouring the moment and pouring out all the unsaid emotions. Artemis kisses her on the lips again, then again, and one more time for good measures before laying her head on Zatanna’s chest, listening to her heartbeat as silence takes over the room. “I think I’ve always loved you Zee” she confesses quietly, “even when we were kids and I didn’t know what that was.”

Artemis feels slender fingers intertwine with hers, “that makes two of us” the woman above her replies softly, and this causes Artemis to look up at her. Her eyes flicker between Zatanna’s and it’s like looking into the sky on a clear day. They’re bright yet calming, and there’s something in them that’s indescribable, yet oddly familiar. And Artemis, there’s a vulnerability in her eyes that rarely makes an appearance, like dark clouds gathering on a stormy day. She doesn’t like to be vulnerable, but she knows it’s ok to be, she won’t ever be judged by Zatanna.

As Artemis and Zatanna lay there, intertwined hands resting over the wound on the leaguer’s stomach, they know they’re home.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it. Thanks for reading!  
> I have other snaibsel fics on the way but I don’t know how long they’ll be :/


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